The Rock Vs. Steve Austin | Wrestling Timelines

November 17, 1996 - The Rise Of The Anti-Hero

Steve Austin Bret Hart Wrestling Spots Nobody Does Anymore
WWE.com

WWF Survivor Series emanates from the “spiritual home” of Madison Square Garden. It is headlined by Sid dethroning WWF Champion Shawn Michaels, and is partly remembered for an all-time great carry-job performed by the Heartbreak Kid. It is also the very first night on which Steve Austin and the Rock share critical acclaim.

Austin is outrageously great in the build. Challenging Bret ‘Hitman’ Hart to come back to the WWF so that he can formally take his spot in it, Austin claims that Bret is “completely pathetic”. If you were to put an ‘S’ in front of the word ‘Hitman’, Austin continues, you have his exact opinion of his opponent. The editing in this video package is sublime.

Casting Austin as a malevolent and unstoppable force, the needle drop of Austin’s theme and an understated black and white graphic displaying just the date and the name of show promises the first exploratory step into a new, darker world.

In the ring, Austin harnesses that momentum into an electrifying struggle of a pro wrestling match. It is eerie, how much the action in the match echoes Austin’s ascent; just as the match is always on the cusp of falling apart into an uncontainable brawl, Austin himself is on the verge of realising his final stylistic form as the money-drawing mega-star he had always backed himself to be. Austin is a bad guy, but he’s awesome. It takes a while for the fans to grasp that that’s OK.

Rocky Maivia
WWE

Meanwhile, the Rock makes his televised debut proper as ‘Rocky Maivia’. Despite his dorky look, which the man himself has fun with at his own expense in later years, the smarky, discerning crowd is receptive to Maivia and his glad-handing entrance. With his striking look, evident presence and explosive athleticism, Maivia levels up. The booking portrays him as one to watch; his performance justifies the opportunity.

World Championship Wrestling is on fire through the wildly popular New World Order faction led by former WWF stars Hulk Hogan, Kevin ‘Diesel’ Nash and Scott ‘Razor Ramon’ Hall. The promotion is in the early phase of an 83 week-long winning streak in the head-to-head ratings war.

Survivor Series 1996, however, presents the first glimpse of the WWF comeback.

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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!